State water board reduces minimum flows to Russian River, limits diversions

The California State Water Resources Control Board ordered reductions this week on minimum instream flows and diversions from the Russian River as drought conditions worsen in the river’s watershed.

The temporary order, which the SWRCB issued Monday, lowers instream flow requirements from 85 cubic feet per second to 35 and requires the Sonoma County Water Agency and its contractors to reduce diversions from the river by 20 percent from last year’s usage between July 1 and mid-December 2021.